AstraZeneca, the manufacture of the Covishield vaccine for COVID-19, has admited in court documents for the first time that its vaccine can result in rare side effects, including potentially fatal blood clots and low platelet count.
A lawsuit filed in the UK against the company, seeking damages of nearly £100 million for approximately 50 victims, alleges that Covishield has caused deaths and serious injuries.
The Telegraph reported that in court documents submitted in February, the company stated, “It is acknowledged that the [AstraZeneca] vaccine can, in extremely rare instances, lead to TTS. The exact causal mechanism is yet to be determined.” Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) is characterized by the formation of blood clots and a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood.
Additionally, the documents noted, “Furthermore, TTS may occur even without the administration of the [AstraZeneca] vaccine (or any vaccine). Establishing causation in individual cases will require expert testimony.”
One of the claimants asserted that they developed a blood clot due to the vaccine, resulting in permanent brain damage and preventing them from continuing to work.
The Covishield vaccine has been administered in over 150 countries, including India and the UK, to combat COVID-19. Developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, it has been endorsed by the World Health Organization despite the acknowledged potential for such side effects.
